


Tequila & Team Bonding

by typicalaveragefangirl



Series: Extraordinary Relationships [1]
Category: Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (TV)
Genre: Beach House, Drinking Games, F/M, House Party, Not Canon Compliant, Partying, Spin the Bottle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:48:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24599311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/typicalaveragefangirl/pseuds/typicalaveragefangirl
Summary: Zoey and her coworkers spend a weekend away partying at Danny Michael Davis' beach house.Set after the SPRQ Watch Release party in 1x03. Canon divergent but sort of? compliant? in some ways. Basically, if 2020 were a GIF it would be the dog on fire saying "this is fine" so I just wanted to write something fun.
Relationships: Simon Haynes/Jessica, Tobin Batra & Leif Donnelly, Zoey Clarke & Max Richman, Zoey Clarke/Max Richman
Series: Extraordinary Relationships [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1785253
Comments: 14
Kudos: 69





	1. Santa Cruz, Here We Come

“Sorry I’m late,” Joan said, walking into the conference room; the SPRQ Smartwatch core team—Zoey, Max, Tobin, Leif, and Kane from engineering along with Simon, Liam, and Kimmy from marketing—was gathered around the table and waited for her to go on. “I just got off the phone with Danny Michael Davis,” Joan continued, “and he was extremely pleased with how the release party went. He’s offered our team use of his beach house in Santa Cruz this weekend.”

The team’s faces quickly transitioned from smiles when Joan said the words “extremely pleased” (that was no small feat coming from her) to grimaces barely contained with fake grins when everybody realized that they had to quickly come up with an a valid excuse or spend their weekends with coworkers they already saw far too much. 

“I’m super glad he’s happy with our work, Joan,” Zoey started, “but I won’t be able to leave the city this weekend with, uh, with my Dad.” She felt a little guilty pulling the dad-card when she didn’t actually have any specific plans with him this weekend, but she was sure she’d go visit at some point—and besides, the excuse was valid. At this point a lot could change in a couple of days. 

Zoey’s excuse triggered others to chime in, quick to jump on the avoidance train. “I, uh, actually have an appointment I can’t miss this weekend?” Leif said as if it were a question and Tobin joined in with “Sorry, boss. No can do! Ya boi got a hot date this weekend.” Simon was starting to talk about engagement party plans when Joan shouted, “STOP.” 

They all nervously looked around. “When Danny Michael Davis says ‘go to my beach house’ you go to his beach house, at least if you value your lives. Don’t bother showing up to work tomorrow, you can just head straight there and I’ll tell HR to add off-site hours to your timecards. And if you don’t show up in Santa Cruz tomorrow ready for some team bonding,” she said with a clearly forced smile, “don’t bother showing up to work on Monday either.” 

* * *

“It is far too early for me to be standing on the side of the road,” Mo said grumpily. Joan’s email that detailed directions to Danny Michael Davis’ beach house also said they could bring plus ones, and when Zoey had mentioned to Simon she was bringing Mo, he suggested they ride with him and Jessica to save on gas. They’d also extended the offer to Max, but he’d surprised Zoey by saying that he had already asked Autumn to come with him. 

“Drink your coffee,” Zoey said sympathetically, “and thanks again, Mo, for coming with me. I couldn’t face showing up alone.” “Glad to be your backup plan,” Mo said, gaining a little more spunk with each gulp of caffeine. “But just know I made a pact with Mackenzie Jones in 7th grade that we’d get married if we were both single at 40.” 

A few moments later, Simon and Jessica pulled up and after loading all of Zoey’s and Mo’s belongings into the trunk, they all took off on their roughly hour long drive to Danny Michael Davis’ beach house making polite, if not slightly stilted, conversation. 

Zoey was nearly convinced Simon was lost when he turned onto a long gravel road, but after a few slow miles they approached what could only be described as a castle. They came up to a large golden gate that opened as they slowed in front of it, and Zoey wondered what kind of technology made that happen; surly it only opened because they were  _ supposed _ to be driving through it. 

Despite getting there shortly after nine, they were some of the last people to arrive. Danny Michael Davis gathered everyone in the kitchen, which opened up onto a huge deck overlooking the ocean. “Welcome, welcome,” Danny said as Zoey, Mo, Simon, & Jessica joined the rest of their coworkers. He gave them an awkward tour of the truly immaculate house, with the exception of one door that he insisted stay shut  _ at all times _ and then he said “okay, I have a massage in New York tomorrow so I’ve got to go to Bali now to get some cassava. Have a nice weekend!” 

And with that, Danny Michael Davis left and everybody dispersed, finding empty bedrooms to put their bags in. The house was huge with tall ceilings and fancy furniture; artwork that was surely worth more than Mitch and Maggie’s entire house lined the walls and there was an in-ground pool outside complete with a waterslide from the deck. Zoey dropped off her stuff and left Mo alone to “freshen up” as she wandered the halls looking for her coworkers. 

When she reached the kitchen she heard Tobin ask Joan where Charlie was and saw Joan freeze. She hadn’t specifically said so, but Zoey assumed that the mandatory weekend away was maybe related to Charlie and Joan’s fight at the release party. “Holy shit,” Zoey said loudly, “look at all the booze he has! There’s an entire fridge full of beer.” Tobin’s attention was immediately grabbed, and he began browsing the shelves of top shelf liquors with extravagant stories of the times he’d had them. Joan gave her a grateful smile. 

Everybody started filling in to the common areas of the house. Max and Autumn approached Zoey, his arm around her shoulders and smiles wide. At first she was pleased because conversation with her coworkers was always easier when Max was by her side, but then Zoey felt a pang of jealousy when she realized he was by Autumn’s side now instead.  _ No, _ she thought,  _ not jealousy. Maybe envy? No, that’s wrong too. I’m the one who set them up for god's sake _ . “I, uh, am going to go find Mo,” she muttered, hoping they couldn’t read emotions as well as she could now. 

When she got up to their room, Mo opened the door dressed in an outfit Zoey had never seen; he was wearing a golden Louis Vuitton bodysuit covered with a crocheted jumper and a wide brimmed beach hat Zoey knew not a single other person could pull off the way he did. “Wow Mo,” Zoey said, “You look-” The beat of a heart song started, and Mo interrupted before Zoey could continue. 

_ Mirror, mirror on the wall don’t say it ‘cause I know I’m cute, _

_ Louis down to my drawers, LV all on my shoes _ , 

Zoey might live under a rock, but even she couldn’t escape Lizzo’s rise to fame over the past couple of years. “Ohh, Baby!” she joined in. Mo started dancing down the hallway to the living room, and Zoey joined in.

_ I be drippin’ so much sauce got a bitch lookin’ like Ragú, _

_ Lit up like a crystal ball, that’s cool baby, so is you, that’s how I roll _

Zoey followed Mo dancing around the room and couldn’t help but smile. Maybe this weekend wouldn’t be so awful after all. They got to the kitchen and Zoey saw everybody was still standing around awkwardly. None of these people knew how to interact with each other outside the walls of SPRQ Point. Mo continued, 

_ If I’m shinin, everybody gonna shine _

  
Zoey was pleased when everybody’s tentative smiles turned to genuine ones as they shouted “ _ Yeah, I’m goals! _ ” to back Mo up. 

_ I was born like this, don’t even gotta try (now you know) _

_ I’m like Chardonnay, get better over time (so you know) _

_ Heard you say I’m not the baddest, bitch, you lied. _

Joan walked over to the liquor shelves, grabbed a few bottles of champagne and started passing them around. She shook her’s up, and just as Mo began the chorus, she popped the bottle and started spraying everybody with bubbles. 

_ It ain’t my fault that I’m out here gettin’ loose, _

_ Gotta blame it on the Goose,  _

_ Gotta blame it on my juice, baby _

By the next part of the chorus, Zoey was sticky—due to both the champagne and the sweat lining her back from dancing. 

_ It ain’t my fault that I’m out here makin’ news, _

_ I’m the pudding in the proof,  _

_ Gotta blame it on the juice. Ya-ya-ee, Ya-ya-ee, Ya-ya-ee, Ya-ya-ee.  _

Zoey closed her eyes as Mo finished the song and when she opened them again everybody was still sitting in uncomfortable silence. There were no popped bottles of champagne or smiles in sight. Zoey wasn’t going to let the weekend continue like this. As much as she hated to admit it, she was looking forward to being able to let loose a little bit this weekend (even if it was with her coworkers). So in a move slightly uncharacteristic of her, she walked over to the liquor shelves, grabbed a bottle of Gray Goose in one hand and Patrón in the other and said “anybody up for some shots?”


	2. Everybody In This Bitch Gettin' Tipsy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shots, Heartsongs, Spin The Bottle, Oh My!

“Cheers!” the group echoed, clinking shot glasses together for the 4th or 5th time since Zoey first suggested it a few hours earlier. Somebody had hooked their spotify up to speakers that blasted throughout the house, deck, and pool area. Zoey was sure that anybody on the beach could hear it too, but Joan had told her there were no neighbors for miles, so she wasn’t  _ too _ worried about it. Honestly, she was surprised how much fun she was having. 

Zoey wasn’t as used to day drinking as most of her coworkers appeared to be, but she tried to keep up; there was plenty of food in every corner of the kitchen, so she snuck in to grab a few pieces of bread to soak up some of the alcohol every few drinks. Everybody settled in: Tobin, Leif, and Kane sat on floaties in the pool while Jessica, Simon, and Kimmy sat in lounge chairs near them talking. Liam, who Zoey hadn’t spent much time with before this weekend, had gone out to run along the ocean and Autumn had joined him, which left Joan, Mo, Max, and Zoey chilling on the deck talking and sipping on margaritas. 

Late morning turned to early afternoon, which turned to later afternoon and then early evening. More beer, more champagne, more shots. More music blasted from the speakers. Even a few weed gummy bears were passed around. When the sun started setting and everybody realized they’d only drunk their dinner, Joan ordered an obscene amount of pizza for delivery. Everybody sat around the living room eating and drinking.

“Oh, this is my JAAAAUM,” Tobin said as Zoey started to hear clapping beats of none other than Tipsy by J-Kwon. She wasn’t used to rap numbers. “One, here comes the two to the three to the four, everybody drunk out on the dance floor,” he started singing, hands pointing to a different coworker with each beat. Several people jumped up and started dancing around the couch. Leif took the next line as if they had rehearsed it a thousand times: “Baby girl ass jiggle like she want more, like she a groupie and I ain’t even on tour, maybe cause she heard that I rhyme hardcore or maybe cause she heard that I buy out the stores.” 

Zoey had no doubt in her mind this was some sort of alcohol induced heartsong when Max walked up to her and said “this is one musical number I could have gone my entire life without seeing.” She looked around slowly and took a step closer to the speaker, realizing that everybody could see this happening. It wasn’t a heartsong—it was just her drunk coworkers performing a bad musical number. “Oh, you have  _ no idea _ ,” she said with a smile as Mo took each of their hands, pulling them into a small circle of people who were a few drinks away from grinding and screaming “everybody in this bitch gettin’ tipsy” over and over again.

Zoey didn’t frequent dancing in clubs, but she was having more fun dancing with her coworkers than she would’ve thought possible a few days (or even hours) ago. The evening transitioned from dancing to a few different drinking games including Kings Cup, Cheers Governor, and then Flip Cup. “I hate flip cup,” Joan said definitively after a few minutes of trying and failing to succeed. She was not about to lose a drinking game to all of her 20-something subordinates. “New SPRQ Point rule,” she announced, “Flip Cup is illegal. Stop now or I’ll fire you.” Everybody immediately stopped; each one of them was well on their way to being wasted, but they also remained sober enough to know they didn’t want to cross Joan. 

“We could play spin the bottle instead,” Simon said and everybody laughed at the suggestion. But Simon grabbed an empty champagne bottle, spinning it around on one of his fingers before stopping it purposely on Jessica. He leaned down, kissing her passionately. After a few hollars and whoops, Simon tossed the bottle to Tobin—who barely caught it before it would have shattered on the ground—and tossed Jessica over his shoulder, running toward the stairs, surely off to do  _ much more _ than kissing. 

“Did he just… spin an empty champagne bottle? On his  _ finger?  _ Like a  _ Basketball? _ ” Max said dumbstruck, still staring after him. Leif’s mouth was gaping open in the same fashion and he added, “Is there  _ anything _ that man can’t do?” Everybody had gathered in a small circle around Tobin, who placed the bottle on the rug and spun it. “We’re actually doing this?” Zoey groaned. 

“Oh we’re doing it, ZoZo,” Tobin said, as his bottle started to slow, “If two people don’t want to kiss, they both do a shot!” Just then, the bottle stopped pointing directly at Leif. There was an echo of “ooooohs” and “so you gonna take that shot now, Tobes?” There was just a brief moment of hesitation in Tobin’s eyes before he crossed over to his best friend, grabbed each side of his face, and laid his lips on Leif’s. 

“Are they together?” Autumn asked Max, trying to whisper but failing with the alcohol that was running through her bloodstream. “We’re not,” Tobin answered as he pulled away and turned to Autumn, “Just confident enough in our friendship to not lose a game.” Leif just smirked. Tobin handed the bottle to Autumn, “your turn.” She spun the bottle and when it landed on Max, she squealed as if she were a seven year old petting a puppy for the first time. 

Max smiled, grabbing her closer to him and giving her a quick, soft kiss. Zoey had to look away, too drunk to try to convince herself that the jealousy she was feeling was a different emotion. “Can we go two for two?” he asked, grabbing the bottle next and giving it a quick spin. Instead of landing on Autumn, though, it landed on Zoey, who immediately jumped up grabbing for the liquor bottle and said “We, uh, we can just do the shots.” 

“Ohhhhh, c’mon,” Liam said. “Are you really telling me the two of you have never shared a drunk kiss before? I hardly believe that.” “Zoey,” Max said, jumping up and crossing over to her more confidently than ever before, “I can’t take another shot. Not if I hope to crush the pool volleyball tournament tomorrow. Just kiss me.” She backed away from him, “that’s uh, that’s not fair to Autumn and-” Max met each of her receding steps with one of his own. “-and, and I uh, I can’t kiss you! Not in front of all of these people! I can’t.”

She tried escaping the small circle, but Max grabbed her hand, pulling her back toward him. Everybody was shouting and smiling and laughing and prodding them, which made Zoey’s cheeks flood a shade of deep red. Off balance from the slight tug, whether due to the alcohol or nerves she wasn’t sure, Zoey fell into Max’s chest and looked up at him. “C’mon, Zo.” he said quietly, “It’s just a kiss.” He towered over her, and looked down expectantly with a slow, sexy grin spreading across his face; she knew that he wouldn’t kiss her until he knew she was okay with it. She gave him a slight nod and said “okay” unsure if he, or anybody else could hear. 

He must’ve, though, because he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. At first they were both pretty still, learning the curves of each other’s mouths. Learning how they fit together. Then Zoey felt Max’s tongue tentatively swipe at her bottom lip and she stood on her tippie toes to deepen the kiss, her hand finding its way to the side of his jaw while his held the small of her back tight to him. They were the only two in the world—until Zoey was brought back to reality with the sounds of her coworkers shouting them on. Max pulled away and gave Zoey a quick smile; embarrassment spread deeper across her cheeks again as she found her way back to her place. 

“Your turn, Zoey!” Mo said deviously. She was suddenly glad to have to kiss somebody else, anybody else. Maybe that would stop her from thinking about the kiss with Max. She quickly spun the bottle, and when it slowed to a stop on Max her heart somehow simultaneously fluttered and sunk. “I guess Max can go two for two with  _ someone _ ,” Leif said with a chuckle. Autumn looked more disappointed than anything. The rest of their coworkers, clearly too drunk to consider Autumn’s feelings, made jokes about the two of them that Max and Zoey were used to—though they were harder to ignore with all of the tequila. 

Zoey’s eyes drifted to Max and he gave her a soft smile, suddenly less confident than he had been during their first turn. “There are not nearly enough of us here to make this game sustainable,” Zoey said quietly as she got up, walked to Max, and gave him another soft kiss. “I need some air,” she said. Just as Zoey got onto the deck, she heard Joan say, “No, you stay here. I’ll go.” 

Zoey felt Joan sit on the lounge chair beside her a few moments later, but kept staring straight ahead at the ocean. “Zoey,” she asked tentatively, “are you okay?” Zoey was taken aback by how forward Joan was being. Sure, they’d gotten closer over the past few weeks, but Joan still seemed to avoid emotion when at all possible. Zoey forced a smile and said, “I’m fine, it was just…”  _ Just. Just a kiss. Just Max. Just.  _

“I just felt bad about Autumn having to watch her boyfriend kiss someone else, that’s all.” “Well, I shut it down,” Joan said. “I told them we could get in trouble with HR so they’re all starting a beer pong tournament now. Come back in and grab another drink!” 


	3. Pool Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew tries to recover from a collective hangover.

Zoey regretted joining in on the beer pong tournament before she even opened her eyes the next morning. Her head was pounding and her throat was dry. “Erughhh,” Zoey whined, eyes still shut. “I am right there with you,” Mo mumbled into his pillow on the identical full size bed a few feet away from the one Zoey had slept on. Zoey slowly sat up, which  _ somehow _ increased the intensity of pounding. She hadn’t thought that was possible. 

There was a loud knock at the door and Zoey flinched. “BREAKFAST,” Tobin shouted, and after a few seconds Zoey heard him knock on the next door and shout again. “That boy has got a death wish,” Mo grumbled, still buried under a pile of blankets. Zoey crawled out of bed, feeling a wave of nausea, and grabbed her bag; she went to the bathroom, hoping a cold shower and some Tylenol would help her feel a little more alive. 

Twenty minutes later, she stumbled into the kitchen and started grabbing a plate full of scrambled eggs, bacon, and a bagel before flopping herself on a dining room chair next to Max, who looked just as miserable as she felt. “Morning,” he muttered. Tobin, as bright and bubbly as ever, set a glass down in front of each of them. “Tobin,” Max grumbled, “don’t take this the wrong way, but kindly  _ fuck off _ .” 

“That doesn’t sound very kind talking to the person who made you breakfast and a glass of his top secret special hangover cure,” Tobin said. Zoey was willing to try anything at this point so she took a drink and it was one of the most foul things she’d ever tasted. “If I were you I’d suggest chugging it like you did that mojito last night,” Tobin said when he saw Zoey’s face. She didn’t know why—it was probably the hangover—but she did as Tobin suggested and hoped for the best. 

“Nope,” Max said, pushing his chair back and standing up, “Nope. That’s a no from me.” He walked slowly, painfully up the stairs to find Autumn. When he opened the door to their room, he found her sitting on the bed next to her packed bag. “Uh, you know we’re not leaving until tomorrow, right?” he asked. “I think it’s best if I go now,” she said quietly. “Why?” Max asked, suddenly nervous and crossing to her side. “Is everything okay?” 

Autumn sighed. “You really don’t know what I’m upset about?” she asked. “I mean, I know Tobin and Leif and Joan are a little much,” Max started. “It’s not them.” Autumn interrupted curtly. Max looked at her, really looked at her, for the first time since he came upstairs. “Oh, Autumn,” he said softly. “It’s not.. We’re not. It was just a game!” Max heard his voice catch; he wasn’t even convincing himself, so he wasn’t surprised when it didn’t convince Autumn either. “C’mon, Max,” she said, trying not to get angry. “Anybody watching could tell you’re in love with her.” 

* * *

While most everybody laid low for the majority of the morning, once the afternoon rolled around there was a little more spunk in their steps. After getting changed into their swimsuits, Zoey and Mo headed down to the pool where most people had congregated after lunch. Joan, who was lying on a lounge chair near the pool and rubbing tanning lotion on her arms, caught sight of Zoey sitting down next to her. “ZZ Top!” Joan screeched, “You have a  _ tattoo _ ?” 

Zoey’s hands instinctively reached for her ribcage where there was a sailboat inked into her skin; shortly after her dad’s diagnosis, she’d been feeling completely out of control and had decided a stranger shoving a needle into her ribs over and over again for an hour was the best way she could think of to honor her dad. Joan’s screeches had turned everybody’s attention to Zoey. “Uh, yeah?” she answered, more as if it were a question than a fact about herself. “Badass,” Tobin said before doing a cannonball into the pool, which splashed Zoey and Mo.

Zoey was almost mad at Tobin, but when she flinched away from the cold water, she caught sight of Max walking up to the pool and  _ everything else _ left her mind. He had a pair of charcoal grey swim trunks hanging low on his hips; Zoey’s eyes traveled from them up his  _ surprisingly sculpted _ chest. An unbuttoned peach linen shirt was tight around his biceps, and a few curls had escaped his backwards baseball hat. “Hey, Zo,” he said with a soft smile crossing over to where her and Mo were. Zoey started stammering on her words.  _ How have I never seen Max shirtless _ , she wondered. 

Simon saved her from having to actually respond when he asked who wanted to join the pool volleyball game. “Maybe all of you children can recuperate from your hangovers by 2pm, but I am certainly not leaving this chair to play volleyball of all things,” Joan said as she pulled sunglasses from her hair and put them on. “Mo’s out,” he said, joining Joan on a lounger. “I’m in!” Zoey said, walking over to the stairs, “as long as I can be on the shallow end of the pool. I can’t touch in the deep end.” 

“Max?” Simon asked, counting people. “You in? What about Autumn?” “Ahhhh, I’m in. But, uh, Autumn left,” Max said. Zoey heard several people ask why but she couldn’t get herself to say anything; when she realized she was still staring at Max’s chest, she forced herself to dive under the water. When she came back up, she heard Max say “we actually broke up.” Zoey literally choked. Luckily, everyone assumed she had swallowed water and Jessica swam over to pat her back as she regained her breath. 

“You okay, Zo?” Max asked as he tossed his shirt aside and sat on the edge of the pool near her, slowly lifting himself down into the water. “Yeah, I’m fine. Are you?” she asked, staring as his bicep tightened and then returned to normal. “I will be as long as you guys give me a ride home,” he said to Zoey, Simon, and Jessica with a slight grin. “Autumn and I came in her Prius because she said it’d get better gas mileage than my car.” “Of course,” Simon said at the same time Zoey said “as long as you sit bitch. I’m not giving up my side seat just because you dumped your girlfriend!” 

Tobin, Zoey, Jessica, and Max took on Simon, Kane, Kimmy, and Liam while Leif served as the referee and Joan and Mo watched. Nobody was very good, but they all were having a good time. Zoey was having a particularly good time; she and Max worked like a well oiled team, and Tobin and Jessica fell into their groove quickly. The teams were tied at 24, meaning that whichever team scored the last point was going to win. 

Simon served the ball, and it was almost an Ace, but Zoey dove after it, bumping it up just before she plunged below the water; she jumped back up and cleared the water from her eyes just in time to see Max jump up and spike the ball into the water on the other side of the net. The winning team erupted into jumps and screams, and Max swam over picking up Zoey and spinning her around as water trailed around them. “Not even fair,” Kane said from the other side of the pool, “Max and Zoey being on the same team set us up for failure.” 

The two teams were shaking hands when Zoey heard the unmistakable notes of a heartsong. 

_ Summer loving, had me a blast, _ Simon sang. 

For a split second, Zoey was worried he was singing to her; things had been very above board lately, and she had decided she liked it that way—especially after spending more time with Jessica, who she really liked, this weekend. Luckily, Jessica took the next line. 

_ Summer loving, happened so fast _ .

They swam up to each other and started dancing around the shallow end of the pool, switching off lines before singing together. 

_ I met a girl, crazy for me _

_ Met a boy, cute as can be  _

_ Summer days drifting away to summer nights _

Leif, Tobin, Kane, Liam, and even Max huddled around Simon and sang:  _ Tell me more, Tell me more, Did you get very far? _

Kimmy, Joan, and Mo, who was apparently joining the women’s heartsong team due to lack of estrogen in the house, sang to Jessica:  _ Tell me more, Tell me more, Like does he have a car? _

As her coworkers continued the song, Zoey sat on the pool step and took the moment in. Simon and Jessica took the lead again.

_ She swam by me, she got a cramp _

_ He ran by me, got my suit damp, _

_ I saved her life, she nearly drowned, _

_ He showed off, splashing around _

_ Summer sun, something’s begun but oh, the summer nights _

Zoey was so used to heartsongs creating drama or adding more stress to her life (even when it was arguably needed stress), but this weekend it seemed that her coworkers—and maybe the universe—knew she needed a break. And she found it much easier to enjoy the front row seats to people’s inner concerts when she could do so while chilling in a pool with a drink in hand. 


	4. Underneath Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things heat up between Max & Zoey.

As she heard the last notes of Summer Nights ring out, Zoey watched the sun start to set over the ocean and the SPRQ Point team bonding weekend continued. While Tobin and Kane were still partying as hard as the night before, most of the team was slightly more laid back; their drinks were still full, the party still going, but most of them could walk straight—unlike the night before. 

Zoey, Mo, Joan, Jessica, Kimmy, and Leif sat around a bonfire on the beach just near the edge of the pool and watched the others on the deck. Kane and Simon each held one of Tobin’s legs as he did a keg stand and Max stood next to them shouting “Chug! Chug! Chug!” Zoey took a sip of the whiskey sour she’d been nursing for the last hour and pulled out her phone to quick check for any messages from her mom; she decided no news was good news, and slid her phone back into her pocket. 

“ _ How on earth _ ,” Zoey said, glancing up at the deck, “are they still drinking that much? I think I’m already hungover again from drinking this afternoon.” “Can you imagine that boy in college,” Mo said, gesturing to Tobin as he finished his kegstand, sounding both disgusted and turned on at the same time. “Tobes actually didn’t party much in college,” Leif said with a grin. “He went to prison for hacking into the CIA’s surveillance software when he was 18 and then got his degree online. I think that’s part of the reason he’s so insufferably excited to have fun sometimes.” “Oh you  _ have _ to tell me more about that story before this weekend ends,” Mo responded. 

At that point, the four from the deck wandered down to the beach; Max stumbled slightly, falling down closer to Zoey than was necessary. He almost spilled his drink, but lifted it to his mouth instead and took a big gulp without spilling a drop. Zoey watched his throat as he swallowed—an identical lump appearing in her own throat when she realized she was thinking about kissing his neck where it met his jaw. She forced herself to take a drink of her own before he noticed her staring, thankful her coworkers would assume the blush she felt creeping up her chest was due to the alcohol. 

Zoey was quiet as the group continued to engage in light conversation, painfully aware of Max’s arm that brushed up against hers any time either of them moved an inch. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Max look over at her. “You good, Zo?” he asked so that no one else would hear.  _ Damn it _ , she thought,  _ how can he always read me so easily _ . Her eyes flicked over to him without actually moving her body. She got lost in Max’s eyes for a moment: they were such a dark, rich brown that she could barely distinguish the iris from the pupil in the campfire light. She looked at each of his eyelashes, long and curling in a way that made even her—a girl who had lost every eyelash curler she’d ever bought—jealous. 

“I’m going to go for a walk,” Zoey blurted out, standing up and walking quickly toward the ocean. She could feel someone following her, but refused to slow down until she reached the water; she put her feet in the water and stopped, taking a deep breath. “What’s going on with you?” Max asked softly. It wasn’t a malicious or nosey question, Max just knew that something was wrong and wanted to be there for her. What was going on with her? Well, for starters, she couldn’t stop thinking about that damn kiss. “Ah, ya know,” Zoey started, “I just, uh, needed to stretch my legs.” They slowly started walking side by side along the edge of the water. Far in the distance there was only a sliver of orange left in the sky, but the bright stars gave them plenty of light.

They were both quiet for a minute. “Did I do something wrong?” Max asked. “What?” Zoey laughed, “No, of course not. Why would you ask that?” “I don’t know, we’ve barely talked this weekend,” he shrugged, “I don’t know if I’m just reading too much into it with everything that happened with Autumn but-” “What  _ did _ happen with Autumn?” Zoey interrupted. She focused on her breathing, knowing she would have no excuse if she choked this time. Max sighed, “She uh… Well, she.” He stopped talking and then stopped walking. Zoey took a few more steps before she realized he had stopped, and then turned back to look at him. “Max?” 

In that moment he thought about telling her; he thought about saying “Autumn left because she could tell I am in love with you.” Instead, he said, “she said she had some realization while she was doing yoga on the beach this morning—you know her and all her hippie dippie shit.” For a moment he thought there was a flash of disappointment on Zoey’s face, but then she continued walking and he followed. 

“It’s her loss, you know,” Zoey said a few moments later. “Hmm?” Max asked, mind already off Autumn and back to wondering what was going on in Zoey’s head. “Autumn,” she answered. “She, er…uh, anybody. Would be lucky. To have you.” Her words gave Max the courage to grab Zoey’s hand, pulling her closer to him. “What are you doing?” she whispered.    
  
_ “All I want to get is a little bit closer. All I want to know is can you come a little bit closer?” _ Max sang. He tugged on her hand, pulling her up against him and placed his other hand on the back of her neck. “ _ Here comes the breath before we get a little bit closer,”  _ Max continued singing, “ _ Here comes the rush before we touch, come a little closer.” _

And then Max’s lips met Zoey’s—and this time they both knew what to expect. Max could taste the whiskey that lingered on Zoey’s lips, and her the tequila on his. This time, with nobody there to observe, both of their lips demanded more than they had the night before. Their mouths moved together and hands explored in ways they never had as the hands of  _ just friends _ . Zoey wanted to smack him when Max pulled away, running backwards into the water and continuing his song. 

_ The doors are open, the wind is really blowing _

_ The night sky is changing overhead _

_ It’s not just all physical, I’m the type who won’t get oh so critical _

_ So let’s make things physical, I won’t treat you like you’re oh so typical _

Zoey couldn’t help but laugh as Max jumped around, dancing in the shallow water. He kicked his feet around to the beat, clapping along as he soaked both of their legs. He quit dancing and approached Zoey again. 

“ _ All you think of lately, is getting underneath me, _ ” Max sang. Zoey couldn’t help but notice how much truth those words had; when he sang “ _ all I dream of lately is how to get you underneath me _ ” next, she grinned. Zoey tripped a bit, stumbling backwards into the sand. Max fell with her but caught himself before landing and continued to sing,

_ Here comes the heat before we meet, a little bit closer _

_ Here comes the spark before the dark, come a little closer  _

_ Things lights are off and the sun is finally setting _

_ The night changing overhead _

_ It’s not just all physical _

Zoey was laying in the sand, Max on top of her—lips just inches apart. She couldn’t take the singing anymore. Zoey pulled his weight down on her, their lips moving fervently against each other. Zoey was surprised just how quickly a few kisses with Max could turn her on, and the pressure of Max’s erection on her thigh told her she wasn’t alone. She was afraid that Max was going to start singing again when he pulled away. Instead, he said, “Zoey, are you sure about this?” 

She tried to kiss him again in response, but he pulled away further. “I… I uh, I don’t want to do this if you’re too drunk or you just feel bad about Autumn or-” “Max,” Zoey sighed, “I am not that drunk and you are the only person on my mind. I want you. Now.” He waited another second, staring intently into her eyes; Zoey watched him decide to trust her as his lips crashed into hers again. 

Max’s hand moved to Zoey’s hip, playing with the soft skin just under the hem of her tank top. Her hands quickly were above her head, urging him to pull the shirt off, leaving her in her swimsuit top and shorts. A few seconds later, Max’s shirt followed. Max’s skin was warm where it touched Zoey’s and she couldn’t help but lightly run her fingers over the muscles in his back—especially when she realized the spots where it tickled him. Max’s hands went to the waistband of her shorts and paused; he pulled back slightly to look at her. 

Zoey grinned, grabbing Max’s hand in hers and leading it under her swimsuit bottoms. Max swept his hand across Zoey who was already wet with anticipation; she gasped as he slid his pointer and then middle finger into her a few times and used his thumb to create pressure on her clit. At first Max was moving slowly, but when he started to pick up his pace, Zoey couldn’t handle it anymore and reached her hand down the front of his swimsuit, too. She wrapped her fingers around his shaft and felt Max intake a sharp breath when her thumb passed over his head, slick with precum. 

“Max,” Zoey panted a few minutes later, “do you have a condom?” “Ah, fuck,” Max said, breathing just as heavily. His eyes tried to focus on her as he pulled away slightly and said, “Uh, I do. In my room.” Zoey backed away a bit, knowing if she didn’t she might keep going against better judgement; she was just getting used to the idea of being with Max—there was no way in hell she was getting used to the idea of a child yet. Max saw the look in her eyes and knew Zoey enough to know what she was thinking. “Alright,” he said, “here’s what we’re going to do.” 


	5. Just

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The weekend comes to an end.

“Got it,” Zoey said, going over the steps of their plan in her head again—she was never great under pressure, and she didn’t want anybody to be suspicious. “Should we head back?” “I uh, am going… to need a minute,” Max said sheepishly glancing down. Zoey busted out laughing, which only intensified the blush on Max’s cheeks. 

They were sitting a few inches apart, their feet getting wet only when the tide was at its highest. They were both quiet, not so much embarrassed as just unsure how to act around each other suddenly. “So, you come here often?” Zoey asked, desperate to fill the silence. Max chuckled, but still didn’t say anything. “I’m actually pretty surprised how much fun I’ve had this weekend,” Zoey offered next. 

“Yeah, we totally kicked ass at pool volleyball,” Max smiled, picking up their usual ease. “We make a pretty good team, huh?” Zoey said. “If you ever want me to be able to approach that bonfire with my dignity intact, you’re going to have to stop flirting with me, Zo,” he said. This time, it was Zoey’s cheeks getting redder. 

A few minutes later, they made their way back to the bonfire and Zoey sat down. Mo, Simon, Jessica, Kane, and Kimmy were the only people left around the fire. “How was your walk?” Mo asked, looking over at Zoey deviously. “Fine,” Zoey said, glancing around. “Where’d everybody go?” “Joan and Liam went into town to buy cookie dough,” Simon answered, “and I don’t know where Tobin and Leif disappeared to.” 

“I might go disappear myself,” Max said with a yawn that only Zoey knew was fake. “I’m pretty wiped, so I’m probably going to head to bed early. Night guys!” If anybody was suspicious, they didn’t show it. Max made his way to his bedroom and sat in anticipation for a few minutes before pulling out his phone and calling Zoey. 

“Hi Mom, is everything okay?” Zoey said into the phone, and then quieter to the people she was with, “I’ll be right back, guys.” “I’m going to have to request that when you get up here,” Max said in response, “that you call me Daddy instead of Mom.” Zoey half laughed, half choked, and tried to play it all off with a cough as she continued walking up toward the house. “Maxwell. Richman.” she said when she was out of earshot, “that was not part of the plan.” “Neither was you taking this damn long,” he answered, “get up here right now.”

A second after Zoey opened the door to Max’s bedroom he shut it again by pushing her up against it. His mouth was against hers another second later. “Well hey, daddy,” she said and then pushed him away slightly saying “Nope. I have  _ regrets _ ” at the same time Max said “okay, let's just agree right now to never talk about  _ that _ again.” They were both giggling. 

He grabbed for Zoey’s hand, pulling her to him again and leaning in to kiss her cheek—suddenly more shy than a moment ago. It didn’t take long, though, for them to find the groove from the beach again. Max picked Zoey up in his arms, laying her down on the bed; their clothes scattered across the room as their hands and lips explored every inch of each other’s bodies. Max made his way down Zoey’s body leaving a trail of kisses in all the places he’d always wanted to but never could. Where her jaw met the back of her neck, just behind her earlobe. Between her breasts down to her hip bone. Her inner thighs, and then her very core.

Max traversed Zoey—tasting each fold, his tongue and teeth softly examining all of her. “Max,” Zoey moaned, “get that condom and get inside of me. Now.” His head pulled back slightly so he could smirk up at her. Hearing her say those words was almost irresistible, but he wasn’t quite finished. Max had waited a long time for this moment, and he was going to take his sweet time. “I’m not done yet,” he said. The breath from his words made Zoey shiver as Max’s head buried between Zoey’s legs again. 

Just as she was about to climax, Max pulled away and crossed the room to grab the condom. “You are evil,” Zoey breathed out with a grin as he returned to bed, rolling the latex back. “I promise the wait has been worse for me than you,” he said, biting down on his lip and then closed the space between them, filling Zoey. They moved together, slowly at first and then quicker and quicker until they both came. 

* * *

Zoey slowly opened the door to Max’s room; she’d gone to the bathroom to clean up and grabbed them both glasses of water and a half empty bottle of champagne on her way back. “Everybody is still out by the fire,” she told Max, “want anything to drink?” He was lying in bed, covered slightly with the sheet, but sat up slightly and patted the bed.

Zoey settled in next to him, passing Max a glass of water for his bedside table and taking a drink of champagne straight out of the bottle before handing him that too. They sat in bed, passing the bottle back and forth making lazy conversation about nothing and everything. Just like always. Zoey felt a wave of relief that she was still able to  _ just talk _ to Max—even if that talk was interrupted by light kisses here and there with their fingers intertwined. 

She didn’t remember falling asleep, but the next time Zoey opened her eyes, she was staring at Max’s chest with his arms wrapped around her and there was a soft light streaming in from the window. She took a deep breath, breathing in Max’s scent; it was so familiar, so comforting, but distinctly different (today, smelling of salt from the ocean and whiskey) at the same time. Max lifted his arms from around her and stretched. “Good morning,” he said, voice low and gravely with sleep. Zoey kissed his chest where her head had settled again. 

“Morning,” she said, and then quickly sat up, realizing for the first time that it was  _ morning _ . “Shit. Shit shit shit. I have to go before Mo realizes I never came to bed.” Zoey jumped out of bed, gathering her clothes from the floor and trying to put them on quickly. “Why does it… uh, why does it matter if Mo knows?” Max asked, clearly trying to keep the hurt out of his voice. “I just…” Zoey started, “uh, thought that we would want to figure things out for ourselves before announcing to our coworkers that we slept together. You’re the one who came up with the plan to get up here without notifying them last night!” 

Max couldn’t argue that—it was his idea, after all—but he couldn’t help but feel like this was another way Zoey was going to run away from anything that felt real. “Right,” Max said defensively, “I guess sleeping together during a weekend of drinking doesn’t mean anything.” This time it was Zoey’s turn to feel hurt; she hadn’t meant that this meant nothing to her, but rather that she wanted her and Max to be able to decide what it meant without including the whole SPRQ Point team. “Right, uh… well I think Simon and Jessica were planning on leaving around 9, so I’ll see you then?” “Sure.” 

Zoey snuck out of Max’s room down the hall to her’s and opened the door softly, closing it behind her making as little noise as humanly possible. “AND WHERE have YOU been?” Mo asked as she turned around. Zoey didn’t even try to make up an excuse; she knew that Mo knew exactly where she’d been. She walked over to her bed, and started packing up some of her things. “I was just hanging out with Max,” she said as casually as possible. “Just hanging out?” Mo snorted, raising his eyebrows, “is that what the kids call it these days?” “Pack your stuff, Mo.” 

* * *

After a final team bonding breakfast, Simon, Jessica, Mo, Zoey, and Max crammed all of their stuff into Simon’s car and headed back toward San Francisco. Zoey had gone back on her earlier comment to Max, and climbed into the middle between him and Mo since she was the smallest. Max and Zoey could barely exist next to each other without things being awkward after how’d they’d left this morning. The car ride was tortured. When they got close to the city, Simon asked “Where we going first? To drop Max off or Zo & Mo?” 

“You can probably just drop all of us off at our place,” Mo said, “I think these two  _ just friends _ have some things to talk about.” Zoey’s head whipped over to give Mo a death glare. “I live over on Walnut avenue,” Max said impassively, speaking up for only the second time all trip, “so it probably makes more sense to drop them off first.” 

“Great!” Jessica answered; she and Simon were either completely oblivious to the tension in the backseat, or  _ really good _ at acting oblivious to the tension in the backseat. A few minutes later they arrived at Zoey and Mo’s apartment, and the pair exited the car. They grabbed their stuff from the trunk, waved goodbye and headed inside.

At the top of the stairs Mo paused before going into his apartment. “So if you and Max were just hanging out this morning, why was the car ride more uncomfortable than that time I had to explain to my white date why it wasn’t okay for him to sing along to  _ every word _ of Grave Digger?” “I don’t wanna talk about it, Mo,” Zoey said as she put her bag down, digging through it to find the keys to unlock her door. “Was it that bad?” Mo asked. “Max always seemed like the type who would make sure to satisfy his lady, if you know what I mean.” “It’s not that,” Zoey said, “I was plenty satisfied-” “AH HA! So you admit it! You and Max finally did the dirty. I need details,” Mo said. 

Luckily, Zoey had unlocked her door and was able to walk into her apartment. “Bye, Mo,” she said as she swung the door shut behind her, and locked it just in case Mo got any ideas. “This isn’t over!” Mo shouted as Zoey walked into her bedroom, putting her bag down. She walked to the kitchen next to start a pot of coffee; it was only 10 o’clock and it had already been a  _ long day _ ; if she planned to accomplish anything at all, she knew she was going to need a little caffeine boost. There was a knock at her door. Zoey ignored it, assuming it was just Mo looking for more information. 

Then the knock happened again, this time louder and longer. Zoey stormed to the door, unlocking it and swinging it open as she said “Mo, I don’t - oh… Max.” Max walked into her apartment without invitation and started talking, “Okay, so here’s the thing, Zo. It is never going to be  _ just _ with you. It’s never just lunch, it’s never just movie night. It can’t be just sex. I don’t want to be  _ just friends _ .” Zoey stared at him; she couldn’t form any words but hoped that the relief she was feeling was evident on her face. “What… Do you want?” Max asked timidly after a moment. Zoey closed the gap between them, putting her lips on his and then whispered “I just want you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :) I had fun with this series, so I hope it brought a smile to your face.


End file.
